Overshoe and method of making same



Jan. 17, 1933. w JOY OVERSHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 1 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet Jan. 17, 1933. w, JOY 1,894,610

OVERSHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed 0d. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER JOY, OF SOMEBVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB T CAMBRIDGE RUBBER 00., 0] CAMBRIDGE, -MASSACHUSETT8, A CORPORATION OI MASSACHUSETTS OVEBSEOE AND METHOD 0] MAKING BAH] Application filed October 18, 1929. Serial No. 400,574.

This invention relates to the manufacture of rubber footwear and will be herein disclosed as embodied in an overshoe of a common type. 7

In a considerable variety of rubber shoes it is usual to provide a flap at the front of the shoe to cover the front slit or opening. In making such shoes the flap usually is adhesively secured to the upper at one s1 de of 10 thefront slit, and a stay strip or flap wing is a plied to the upper at the opposite side of t e slit, these parts being permanently secured in position by their union wlth the upper during vulcanization. Both the flap wings are punched for fasteners nor to being attached to the shoe, but the asteners usually are not set until after the vulcamzmg operation has been performed. It is a common occurrence to find that the fasteners do not line up properly in the finished shoe, either due to uneven warping of the parts or the failure to register the flap wings properly with each other in applying them to the shoe. The present invention is especially concerned with these factors and it aims to improve both the construction and methods of making shoes of this type with a view to simplifying the manufacturing operations and improving the finished product.

In shoes of this type it is a very common experience to have the vamp tear at the lower end of the slit or throat portion of the shoe. It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to devise a simple and entirely practical method of reinforcing the shoe at this point and preventing damage from this cause.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

45 In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a flap construction embodying features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the flap shown in Fig. 1 when folded preparatory to being applied to a shoe;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a typical shoe at the time the flap is a plied to it;

Fig. 4 is a similar view s owing the flap after being applied;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the flap and upper of the finished shoe;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the shoe in substantially the form in which it is vulcanized;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view 50 through the flap and adjacent parts of the shoe shown in Fig. 6; and

hFig. 8 is a perspective view of the finished s oe.

Referring first to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be 5 observed that the overshoe there shown is of a common type, and includes an u per 2, a rubber sole 3, heel 4, and the usua foxings 5 and 6. It is a common practice to cut the upper for a shoe of this type from a composite fabric consisting of an outer wearing ply, which may be of either rubber or fabric, united throughout its area to an inner lining ply of fabric. In some cases the up er consists of a vamp and quarters unite by adhesives or by stitching, while in other cases,

as in the construction shown, the vamp and quarters are integral or in a single piece, and their edges are united at the back seam 7.

In making a shoe of this type, the various parts are assembled on the last, the different parts of the shoe being adhesively secured to each other. The particular shoe shown in Fig. 3 is provided with a cufi 8, and an ornamental strip 9 extends across the vamp portion of the shoe. When the shoe is at about this stage of the process the flap usually is applied to the upper.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, which show a typical flap construction of one form embodying this invention, it will be seen that the flap comprises two sections or wings indicated at 12 and 14., respectively. The individual members of cooperating pairs of fasteners are secured to the respective wings. In this particular instance the fasteners are of the snap type and comprise studs 15 set into the wing or flap section 14 and socket members 16 set into the opposite win 12. The wing 14: is to be laid fiat against t e upper 2 and vulcanized thereto so that it will in effect, form a part of the upper in the finished shoe, while the wing 12 is to be secured to the upper only at its margin so that it can swing into an open or closed osition.

These wings may be ma e of the same or different materials. Usually the wing 12 has an inner or lining ply of strong but inexpensive fabric and an outer ply of rubber or fabric of a color contrasting with that of the upper 2. Often the outer ply is made of an ornamental fabric and usually is of the same material as that of the cuff 8. The wing 14 usually consists of an outer ply of fabric like the lining of the wing 12, and an inner ply of rubber or rubberized fabric so that it will form a firm union with the upper material 2. The two wings are very slightly overla ped, one upon the other, and adhesive secured together at their lower edges, as indicated at 17, Figs. 1 and 2, and the margin 16 also is rubberized or coated with rubber cement. If the upper 2 has an outer 'ply of fabric it may be coated with rubber cement at the points where the wings are to be applied to it.

A short length of flexible cord 18, which preferably has been previousl impregnated with rubber, rubber latex or t e like, is next placed across the lower margins of the wings where it will connect them. Preferably, although not necessarily, this cord is made of cotton, flax or some other relatively strong fibre, and the 1part so applied to the flap is bent into a V-s ape, one leg being adhesively attached to the margin 16 and the other to the lower margin of the rubberized surface of the wing 14. The adjacent edges of these wings at this time are separated by a narrow slit 19.

The flap now is folded alon approximately the dotted line 20, Fig. 1, t e wing 12, Fi 1, being carried away from the observer and folded over upon the wing 14 and the sockets 16 snapped on their respective studs 15.

In this condition, the flap is applied to the shoe. At this time the front of the upper is closed, as shown in Fig. 3, and the inner rubberized surface of the wing 14 and the mar in 16' of the wing 12 are simply pressed firm y against the instep portion of the upper with the line of fold 20 extending up said portion and located approximately centrally of this part of the shoe. The rubberized surfaces readily adhere to each other and thus securely hold the wing 14 and the margin 16' in their proper positions on the shoe, the fasteners holding the wing 12 in its closed position.

A finish strip 21 of rubber, Figs. 6 and 7, usually is applied before the shoe is vulcanized to cover the joint between the flap and the vamp and to give the front of the shoe a neater and more finished appearance.

The makin operations are com leted while the shoe is on the last, and the s 00 is subsequently finished in a manner which depends upon the nature of the shoe, the requirements of the trade and-the preference of the different manufacturers. These finishing operations may be re arded as including the vulcanizing of the s 0e, which is performed while the shoe remains on the last or form on which it was built. After the vulcanizing operation, the wing 12 of the flap is unsnapped and the workman then forms the front slit in the upper of the shoe by cutting through the material of the upper, against the last, starting at the lower end of the slit 19, ust above the cord 18, and cutting through to the top of the shoe. This completes the manufacture of the shoe so far as structure is concerned.

It will be observed that in this flap is completed before it is app ied to the shoe. The two wings of the fia are folded one upon the other and broug t into subrocess the v stantially their final relationship before they are unched to receive the studs or sockets or ot er fastener members used, and they may thereafter be folded and snapped together and kept in this relationship as they go through additional steps of the manufacturing process. As above stated, they are kept in their closed relationship during the vulcanizing operation. This avoids any difficulty in registering the fasteners proper- 1y with each other; it permits the setting of t e fasteners before the flap is attached to the shoe and at a time when this operation can be performed more rapidly than according to prior practice, and it avoids any possibility of the two wings of the flap warping one strong and securely embedded in and vulcanized to adjacent parts of the shoe, effectually prevents the tearing of the shoe at the lower end of the slit which often is caused by pulling the flap open violently when taking the shoe oil, or by excessive strain in putting the shoe on. The cord extends directly across the throat closely adjacent to the lower end of the slit, ample lengths of cord being embedded in the shoe to anchor it securely in place. The particular location of the legs of the cord make it inconspicuous in the finished shoe.

A further advantage of this shoe construction is that it avoids the objectionable bunch at the throat of the shoe which has been common in prior constructions, due to the overlapping of substantial portions of the flap at this point. The assembling operations also are facilitated. It has been definitely determined ini/practice that the percenta e of seconds or unsaleable shoes is very su stantially reduced by this invention.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms and that minor departures in the process may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. That improvement in methods of making rubber shoes which consists in assembling parts of a shoe including an upper providing a front slit in said upper, at some stage of the process applying a flexible cord containing rubber to the upper across the lower end of said slit with portions of said cord extending backwardly at opposite sides of said slit, and causing the rubber in said cord to unite with the rubber in the adjacent parts of the shoe to secure the cord permanently in said position in the shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of making rubber shoes which consists in assembling parts of a shoe including an upper, providing a front slit in said upper, at some stage of the process applying a cord containing rubber to the shoe across the lower end of said slit with portions of said cord extending backwardly at opposite sides of said slit, and vulcanizing the shoe with said cord so embedded and thereby permanently securing the cord in said position in the shoe.

3. That improvement in methods of making rubber shoes which consists in assembling parts of a shoe including an upper, providing a flap having two wings equipped with cooperating fastening members for holding the flap closed, adhesively securing said flap to the upper of the shoe at the front thereof, placing a flexible cord across the junction of said wings where it will reinforce the throat of the shoe, and vulcanizing the shoe while utilizing said fastening members to hold the flap in its closed condition.

4.. That improvement in methods of making rubber shoes which consists in assembling parts of a shoe on a last, said parts including an upper closed at the front, providing a folded flap having two wings partly separated by a slit and equipped with cooperating fastener members located, respectively, on said wings, adhesively securing said flap to the instep portion of said shoe, vulcanizing the shoe with said fastener members holding said wings closed during the vulcanizing operation, and thereafter cutting through the upper along the slit between said wings to form the front slit in the shoe.

5. That improvement in methods of mak ing rubber shoes which consists in assembling arts of a shoe on a last, said parts including an upper closed at the front, providing a slitted flap having two wings, equipping said wings with cooperating fastener members to hold the flap closed, attaching a flexible cord to the lower portion of said wings where it will extend across the slit in the flap, folding said flap, adhesively securing said flap in its folded and closed condition to the shoe with the fold extending up the front of the shoe and said cord lying between the flap and the upper, vulcanizing the shoe, and thereafter opening the flap and slitting the upper of the shoe along the slit in said flap to form the instep slit or opening in the shoe.

6. A vulcanized rubber shoe having a slit along the front thereof to permit the shoe to be opened, a flap for closing said slit, and a rubberized, fibrous reinforcing cord embedded and vulcanized in said shoe across the throat portion thereof at the lower end of said slit, said cord being bent into a V-shape and having a leg extending along the margin of the flap adjacent to the throat, and another leg extending along the opposite side of the throat to strengthen the shoe against ripping when the flap is opened.

' 7. That improvement in methods of mak ing rubber shoes which consists in assembling parts of a shoe on a last, said parts including an upper closed at the front, providing a folded flap having two wings equipped with cooperating fastener members located, respectively, on said wings, adhesively securing said flap to the instep portion of a shoe, vulcanizing the shoe, utilizing said fastener members to hold said wings closed during the vulcanizing operation, and thereafter opening said flap and cutting through the upper from a point near the lower end of the flap to the top of the upper to form the front slit in the shoe.

8. A vulcanized rubber shoe having a slit along the front thereof to permit the shoe to be opened, a flap for closing said slit, and a rubberized, fibrous cord extending across the lower end of said slit and backwardly at opposite sides of the slit, said cord being embedded and vulcanized in the portions of said shoe at opposite sides of the slit to reinforce the shoe against ripping when the flap is opened. 

